Onboarding is just one of the many overlooked factors that plays into the cost of hiring. Onboarding can include everything from training and orientation to activating benefits. There is the solid cost for each of these items, but there is also a softer cost in simply activating those items. Many times this soft cost is absorbed as an internal cost and hidden as part of the hiring process. However, there is a very real cost to performing these tasks that need to be acknowledged prior to the onboarding process.
Staffing agencies often include all of these costs in the onboarding process presenting a consolidated fee which accounts for both time spent in the recruitment process and for the hard costs of onboarding an employee. In addition, a temporary staffing agency is often set up to more efficiently handle these processes particularly if they are in high volumes.
In order to enhance service to clients, reduce turnover, and measure performance, Nesco recently implemented a survey program that asks 10 simple questions to employees during their onboarding period. This ensures that these employees are receiving any training they need, and that their assignment was correctly described. This type of information not only gives the company immediate information to act on if necessary, but also helps track what works and what doesn’t at this crucial stage in the hiring process.
Onboarding should not be looked at as a soft cost in the hiring process. For example, safety protocols can be handled by the staffing agency which can save both time and money. In one instance, Nesco Resource was able to save over $1,700 a month in PPE by more closely examining the onboarding process and the distribution of protective gloves.
Examining onboarding as a place for streamlining or improving a process can help save money, time, and impact turnover rates.
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